“You sound weird all of a sudden.”
“Well, you were the one who told me I was weird, remember?”
“I don’t know how we got on this topic but can we go back to a normal conversation? I need to order a picnic meal for Saturday. Can you do it? I can order something from The Harbor House, but frankly, your food is better.”
“Yeah sure. What do you want?”
“I don’t know. You pick the menu.” He looked at her. “What would you want to eat after spending a day on the water?”
“Me? Um, I’d have to think on that. Any allergies I should be aware of?”
“Not for me. I’ll ask Jenna and let you know.”
Brad Connors came up to Luke. “Sorry to interrupt, but can I talk to you for a minute? Liz Moriarty, our science teacher, wanted to meet you. By the way,” he said to Sarah, “great job with the refreshments.”
“Thanks.”
“I’ll see you later,” Luke said to her, “and I’ll get back to you on the allergies.”
The two men left and Sarah went back to the refreshment area to help Lucy pack up their things and get rid of the trash. Lucy was talking non-stop about something, Sarah wasn’t sure what, because all she could think about was the conversation she’d just had with Luke. A picnic basket! He wanted her to prepare them a nice romantic meal. Of all the…well, why shouldn’t he ask her? It’s not like they were—
“Sarah!” Mimi waved to her from the other side of the gym. Sarah waved back and Mimi came walking toward her like she was on a mission. “I haven’t seen you in forever,” Mimi said.
“You saw me this morning at The Bistro.”
“Yes, but we haven’t had a chance to really talk since the night of the silent auction. What a crazy night that was!” Mimi waited till Lucy was out of earshot. “How’s it been, living with my big brother? It hasn’t been too horrible, has it?”
“Horrible?” Sarah could feel her cheeks go warm. “Honestly, we hardly ever see each other.”
“Really?” Mimi gave her a probing look.
“You know how it is. I get up early, spend the day at work and crash hard when I get home.”
“Yeah, The Bistro is really busy this time of the year. All those regulars plus the tourists.” She paused. “Cameron says you play a mean game of Monopoly.”
“He’s a great kid,” Sarah said carefully. Had Cameron told his parents about the Toby incident? If Mimi didn’t mention it, then Sarah wasn’t going to be the one to bring it up.
“I’ve been meaning to thank you. Luke told me how awesome you were the night Toby ran away.”
“He said that?” She couldn’t help but wonder what else Luke had told his sister about that night. Had Luke told Mimi that they’d kissed? She immediately pushed that thought away. No. He wouldn’t tell his sister that. Or anyone else either. The way he’d been acting lately, it was like he’d forgotten about it. Of course, since she was avoiding him he probably thought she’d forgotten about it, too. As if she could. The more she tried not to think about it, the more she thought about it. Go figure.
“Luke says if it hadn’t been for you, they might not have found Toby.” Mimi smiled. “It sounds like the two of you are becoming friends.”
“Who? Me and Toby?”
Mimi laughed. “Maybe, but I was talking about you and Luke.”
Right. “Oh, sure, yeah!”
“Poor Luke. He said that night added two years to his life.”
“He was…great. I mean, losing Toby, that could have happened to anyone and he completely went the extra mile trying to find him. He was fabulous, really.”
Mimi looked at her strangely. Was she babbling? And had she just called Luke fabulous? The word seemed way over the top for just friends
“You look flushed,” Mimi finally said. “Are you okay?”
Sarah tried to laugh, but it came out sounding like a pig snort. Oh no. She sounded just like Lucy did whenever she talked about Will. “I’m fine! I always get overheated when I’m in the kitchen.”